Method and Appparatus for Providing an Animated Representation of a Reorder Operation

1. A method, comprising: displaying a plurality of data items in a first orientation, wherein the data items comprise at least one alpha-numeric representation; receiving a first request to arrange the plurality of data items into a second orientation; and animating movement of at least one of the data items between the first or second orientations, wherein animating movement further comprises periodically displaying the data item at progressive positions along a path between the first and second orientations, and wherein the data item is displayed substantially immediately at the second orientation if a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation is received.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising producing an audio signal accompanying animating movement of the at least one data item.

3. A method, comprising: displaying a plurality of data items in a first orientation, wherein the data items comprise at least one alpha-numeric representation; receiving a first request to arrange the plurality of data items into a second orientation; animating movement of at least one of the data items between the first or second orientations, wherein animating movement further comprises periodically displaying the data item at progressive positions along a path between the first and second orientations; and substantially immediately rendering and displaying the animated item at a target location in response to receiving a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 3 , further comprising substantially immediately rendering each of the animated items at the target locations in response to receiving a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation prior to an end of the time period.

5. An apparatus, comprising: means for displaying a plurality of data items in a first orientation, wherein the data items comprise at least one alpha-numeric representation; means for receiving a first request to arrange the plurality of data items into a second orientation; and means for animating movement of at least one of the data items between the first or second orientations, wherein means for animating movement further comprises means for periodically displaying the data item at progressive positions along a path between the first and second orientations and means for displaying the data item substantially immediately at the second orientation if a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation is received.

6. A computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method, comprising: displaying a plurality of data items in a first orientation, wherein the first orientation relates to a first list of the data items; receiving a first request to arrange the plurality of data items into a second orientation, wherein the second orientation relates to a second list of the data items; and animating movement of at least a portion of the data items between the first and second orientations, wherein animating movement further comprises periodically displaying the data item at progressive positions along a path between the first and second orientations, and wherein the data item is displayed substantially immediately at the second orientation if a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation is received.

7. A computer readable program storage device, as set forth in claim 6 , further comprising producing an audio signal accompanying animating movement of the at least one data item.

8. A computer readable program storage device, as set forth in claim 6 , wherein animating movement further comprises: determining a current location of a data item to be animated; determining a target location of the data item to be animated; identifying a time period for the animation; and periodically rendering the animated data item at a location between the current and target locations as a function of an elapsed time and the identified time period, wherein rendering the animated data item comprising foregoing intermediate rendering and finally rendering the animated item at the target location in response to receiving a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation.

9. An apparatus for displaying information related to a communication session, comprising: a graphical user interface comprising a region adapted to display a list of data items in a first orientation, wherein the first orientation relates to a first list of the data items; a reorder device adapted to receive information regarding the data items and determine a second orientation, wherein the second orientation relates to a second list of the data items; and a device adapted to animate movement of at least one of the data items between the first or second orientations, wherein animating movement further comprises periodically displaying the data item at progressive positions along a path between the first and second orientations, and wherein the data item is displayed substantially immediately at the second orientation if a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation is received.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9 , further comprising an audio system adapted to produce an audio signal accompanying animated movement of the at least one data item.

11. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the device adapted to animate movement is capable of overriding the data item being promptly displayed at the second orientation in response to determining that animating movement of the data items between the second and third orientations is trivial.

12. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the device adapted to animate movement further comprises maintaining the display of data items that are not moved between the first and second orientations, and periodically rendering only the data item being moved between the first and second orientations.

13. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the region adapted to display a plurality of data items in the first orientation further comprises displaying only a portion of a list of the plurality of data items, and wherein the device is adapted to animate movement further comprises animating movement of the at least one data item only when the data item is within the portion of the list being displayed.

14. A method, comprising: displaying a plurality of data items in a first orientation, wherein the data items comprise at least one alpha-numeric representation; receiving a first request to arrange the plurality of data items into a second orientation; and animating movement of at least one of the data items between the first and second orientations, wherein the data item is displayed substantially immediately at the second orientation in response to receiving a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation.

15. An apparatus, comprising: a graphical user interface for displaying information related to a communication session; a region adapted to display a list of data items in a first orientation; a reorder device adapted to receive information regarding the data items and determine a second orientation; and a device adapted to animate movement of at least one of the data items between the first and second orientations, wherein animating movement further comprises the data item is displayed substantially immediately at the second orientation if a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation is received.

16. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the device adapted to animate movement is capable of overriding the data item being promptly displayed at the second orientation in response to determining that animating movement of the data items between the second and third orientations is trivial.

17. A processor-based display device capable of: displaying a plurality of data items in a first orientation, wherein the first orientation relates to a first list of the data items; animating movement of at least a portion of the data items between the first and second orientations in response to first request to arrange the plurality of data items into a second orientation, wherein the second orientation relates to a second list of the data items; wherein the display device displays the data item substantially immediately at the second orientation in response to receiving a second request to arrange the plurality of data items into a third orientation; and wherein animating movement further comprises periodically displaying the data item at progressive positions along a path between the first and second orientations.

18. A method, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a communications session.

19. A method, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a chat window.

20. A method, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a list of data items.

21. A method, as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a communications session.

22. A method, as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a chat window.

23. A method, as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a list of data items.

24. A method, as set forth in claim 3 , further comprising producing an audio signal accompanying animating movement of the at least one data item.

25. A computer readable program storage device, as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a communications session.

26. A computer readable program storage device, as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a chat window.

27. A processor-based display device, as set forth in claim 17 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a communications session.

28. A processor-based display device, as set forth in claim 17 , wherein the plurality of data items comprise at least a portion of a chat window.

29. A processor-based display device, as set forth in claim 17 , further comprising producing an audio signal accompanying animating movement of the at least one data item.